Riverdale had a slight problem on its hands when Ross Butler – who played Reggie Mantle in season one – became a very popular star.

The renewal of the young actor’s other show, 13 Reasons Why on Netflix, meant that he could not commit to Riverdale‘s second season, especially since the writers were keen to make the character more prominent.

A recasting happened, and a new Reggie was found. The great news is that the show has kept Reggie Asian-American.

Meet Charles Melton:

He hasn’t been on your TV screens that much (a guest appearance on American Horror Story: Hotel aside), but he is your new Reggie, as confirmed by TVLine.

The news has been received very warmly by Riverdale fans, with some already crushing hard on him.

Even better, original actor Butler has shared his happiness about the casting on social media.

“I’m so happy that The CW, Greg [Berlanti, executive producer] and Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa, creator] and David [Rapaport, casting director] and Sarah [Schechter, executive producer] gave me, an Asian-American, a chance to play a traditional Caucasian character Reggie,” he said.

“And in light of recent casting news, I am even more excited and more proud that they decided to keep Reggie Asian-American.

“It means a lot to me, it means a lot for the Asian-American community, and I just wanted to say thank you guys again one more time, and I support Charles Melton all the way.”

Butler plays Zach Dempsey on 13 Reasons Why.

Riverdale can be watched on The CW in the US and on Netflix in the UK.